AKIPRESS.COM - The Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Government of Mongolia today signed three loan and one grant agreements totaling $207 million to help improve air quality and quality of life in Ulaanbaatar; sustain people’s access to quality education; and improve inclusivity by providing better opportunities for people with disabilities in the country.

The agreements were signed by Khurelbaatar Chimed, Minister of Finance, and Yolanda Fernandez Lommen, ADB Country Director for Mongolia, at a ceremony in Ulaanbaatar. Tsogzolmaa Tsedenbal, Minister of Education, Culture, Science and Sports, and Chinzorig Sodnom, Minister of Labor and Social Protection were also in attendance.

"The three projects are aligned with the pillars of ADB's Country Partnership Strategy for Mongolia, which, among other goals, support government efforts to foster inclusive growth and ensure opportunities for all, particularly for people from disadvantaged backgrounds,” said Ms. Fernandez Lommen. "We are ready to work closely with the Government of Mongolia to improve education quality while also helping address the country's most pressing problem, which is air pollution, to help improve people’s quality of life."

The air quality policy-based loan, worth $130 million, will focus on various key reform areas, including strengthening the air pollution regulatory framework for reducing air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions from various sectors of the economy. The program will also support the government to earmark future expenditures to prioritize efforts for air pollution reduction and human health protection.

The education project will improve people’s access to quality education by narrowing the gap in the enrollment capacity of schools and kindergartens. To that end, the project will support reforms in the curriculum, provide improved teaching and learning materials, and train teachers, school managers, and local education administrators. It will directly benefit about 15,000 children enrolled in 34 newly constructed or expanded schools and kindergartens under the project.

The third project will focus on the early identification of children with disabilities through medical and social intervention, while improving the service delivery for people with disabilities. It will help fund the construction and rehabilitation of infrastructures and public spaces to make them accessible to people with disabilities. One core area of the project is to create job opportunities for people with disabilities through policy support and industry partnerships. The loan will be supported by a $2 million grant from the Japan Fund for Poverty Reduction.

ADB, based in Manila, is dedicated to reducing poverty in Asia and the Pacific through inclusive economic growth, environmentally sustainable growth, and regional integration. Established in 1966, it is owned by 67 members—48 from the region.